Ratchet-brake for street-cars.



No. 783.735. PATENTED FEB. 28, 1905.

' J. ROBDIGER.

RATGHET BRAKE FOR STREET CARS.

APPLICATION FILED J'ULY15, 1904.

TE STAT is ii aten'ted February 28, 1905.

PATENT rerun JACOB ROEDlGER, ()F ST. LOUlS, MISSOURI, ASSIGNOR TO ST. LOUIS (JAE COMPANY, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI, A (JORPUHATIQN.

PATwHET -BRAKE FOR ETREiE'i -GAWS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 783,735, dated February 28, 1905.

Application filed July 15, 1904. Serial No 216,635.

To all whont H; 'IJI/(IjI/ concern:

Be it known that I, JACOB ROEDIGER, acitizen of the United States, residing in the city of St. Louis, in the State of Missouri, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Ratchet-Brakes for Street-Cars, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, reference being bad to the accom panying drawings, forming part of this speciiication.

My invention relates to ratchet-brakes of the type ordinaril y used and operated by hand upon street-cars; and it particularly adapted for street-cars equipped with vestibules where an ordinary brake-handlecannot be positioned close to said vestibule and rotated all the way around.

The object of my invention is to produce what is commonly known as a quarter-turn brake-handle and which when moved a slight distance rearwardly beyond its normal swing will automatically release from the brake-staff and allow said brake-stall to rotate during the unwinding of the chain and the release of the brake-shoes.

Figure I is a plan View of a portion of a street-car platform with my improved brake in position thereon, the vestibule-windows being shown in section. Fig. ii is aperspective view of the bracket in which the upper end of the brake-stail" is journaled and on which is titted my improved ratchetbrake handle.

ll] is a vertical section taken approximately on line lll 111, Fig. ll. Fig. IV is a horizontal section taken on line lV IV, Fig. ill. Fig. V is a perspective view of the upper end of the brake-staff as contemplated by my improved construction. Fig. V1 is a perspective view of the spring-actuated dog or pawl which I make use of in carrying out my invention.

'1 indicates the car-platform, and 2 the vestibule. A plate t is rigidly fixed to the vestibule rail, with which plate is integrally formed a vertically arranged bearing 5, through which passes the upper end of the brake-staff 6. Formed integral with and projecting upwardly from the right-hand side of this hearing is a lug 7, having an inclined face 8, and immediately to the rear of the apex of'this lug is a notch 9. The end of the brakestafl 6 that projects above the bearing 5 is reduced in diameter, as indicated at 10, and a short distance below the extreme upper end of said reduced portion is formed a flange .11, thus forming an annular groove or cutaway portion 12 between said flange and the body of the brake-staff. Formed in the face of the brake-sta'il' (i, just below the reduced portion 10, is a series of notches 13fthe same being slightly inclined and cm'respondlug to the inclined face 8 ol' the lug 7, previously mentioned. The base or lower end of the crankhandle 14 of my improved brake is gn'ovidml with a vertical bore 15, fitted to receive the upper end of the brake-staff 6, and said base is also provided with an integral housing to, that contains a chamber 16, that connnunicates with said bore 15 and in which operates a s1.)ring-actuated dog or pawl 17. The lower edge 16 of this housing extends over and rides upon the upper edge of the bore The pawl 17 is in the form of a hardened-metal plate provided with a laterally-projecting lip 18, that is adapted to enter the notches 13, and said plate is l'lecessarily arranged at an angle within the chamber 16 cm'rcspomling to the inclination of the notches 13. Sia'ew-siuiteil in the housing 16 is a hollow cap 19, that contains an expansion coil-springiil), which bears directly against the face of the plate i7 and tends to force the lip [8 into the notches 155.

[n the manipulation of my improved ratclwtbrake the handle ht is mmmally engaged and moved backward and forward, as indicated by dotted lines in Fig. l, and during the back ward nmvement or the movement toward the right the point of the pawl [7 travels by the notches until said brake'hamlle is brought to a stop. l Vith the movement of said brakehandle to the left the point of the pawl engages in one of the notches 1.3, and the brakestafl 6 will be thus rotated with the movement of the handle, and the brake-chain will be cor respondingly wound upon the lower end oi said brake-staff. While the brake-lnmdle is being moved to the right the brake-stalf (3 is held against rotation by the usual ratchet and unwind the chain and release the brakes, the 1 operator moves the brake-handle 14 to the right until the housing 16 rid es up the inclined face 8 of the lug 7.

wardly out of the notch in which it has been seated and into the annular space-12, and as soon as the brake-staif is thus freed it will roj tate as the chain on the lower end of said brake- E The staff unwinds and the brake releases. portion 16" of the housing 16 after passing over the apex of the lug 7 drops into the notch 9, and the brake-handle 14 thus remains elevated and in a position approximately parallel with the vestibule until the brake is released and until it is desired to again set the brakes.

ally engaged and pulled toward the left, and in so doing the lower edge of the housing rides over the apex of the lug 7, and said brakehandle is then ,free to descend into its operative position, during which action the point of the pawl 17 descends into one of the notches 13, this being easily accomplished owing to the corresponding inclination of the notches 13 with the inclined face 8.

It will thus be seen that I have constructed a ratchet-brake that is very simple, easily applied to brake-staffs, is very simple in manipulation, and is especially applicable for vestibule-cars and automatically releases the brakestaff when moved to the proper position.

I claim as my invention 1. In a ratchet-brake, a brake-staff having a series of ratchet-teeth formed in its upper end. a ratchet-handle mounted thereon, and means whereby said handle is moved upwardly away from the ratchet-teeth of the staff, substantially as set forth.

2. Ina ratchet-brake, abrake-statf provided at its upper end with a series of ratchet-teeth,

This movement necessarily carries the point of the pawl 17 up- 1 When the operator desires to again manipulate the brake, the handle 14 is manu- I a handle rotatably arranged on the upper end i of the staff, a pawl carried by the handle for l engaging the ratchet-teeth, and means whereby the handle and pawl are elevated from the ratchet-teeth, substantially as set forth.

1 3. In aratchet brake, abrake-stafi provided l a fixed bearing for the upper end of the stafi', l a handle mounted upon the brake-staff above the fixed bearing, a pawl carried by said handle for engaging the ratchet-teeth, and means carried by the fixed bearing for elevating the handle at a certain period of its swing, substantially as set forth.

1. In a ratchet-brake, a brake-staff having a series of ratchet-teeth formed in its upper end. a handle mounted upon the upper end of said statf, a spring-actuated pawl carried by said handle for engaging the ratchet-teeth, whereby said handle is elevated to disengage the pawl from the ratchet-teeth, and means whereby said handle is held in an elevated position, substantially as set forth.

5. In a ratchet-brake, a brake-staif having a series of inclined ratchet-teeth formed in its upper end, a handle arranged for rotation on the upper end of the staff, a pawl in said handle held in an inclined position corresponding to the inclined position of the ratchet-teeth, and means whereby said handle and pawl are elevated to disengage the pawl from the ratchet-teeth, substantially as set forth.

6. In a ratchet-brake, a brake-staff provided with a series of ratchet-teeth in its upperend. a handle rotatively mounted on the upper end of said staff, a pawl carried by the handle for engaging the ratchet-teeth, means whereby the handle is elevated to disengage the pawl from the teeth, and a stop formed on the staff for limiting the upward movement of the handle and pawl, substantially as set forth.

JACOB ROEDIGER.

In presence of- H. F. VOGEL, A. DIEKMANN'.

at its upper end with a series of ratchet-teeth," 

